Recuperating Old Pasture (new project)

Tjcib

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Sheep and goats do well going behind cattle and horses. They do not share parasites and are dead end hosts. Just thought I’d throw that out there.
If only we had the space for cattle :(
 

Baymule

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Maybe not space for cattle, as in multiples, but space for a steer to raise up for the freezer? You could rotate a steer through the pastures and use him in the uncleared areas to stomp down brush and he will eat brush too.
 

Tjcib

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Well here's the "Master Plan" right now. We are still up in the air with what to do with our 1 acre of pasture. I guess it could be a single steer or a couple of sheep. We've gone back and forth on dairy goat or dairy sheep (we've eliminated dairy cow).

We can run 2 batches of meat chickens in the front yard at a time. If we space them out one fall and one spring we can get 120 birds per year. We could also run more meat birds in the pasture if we wanted.

I'm not super pleased with the AGHs on pasture. Seems like a waste of space when other breeds could be working the forest while another animal is on grass.

(EDIT: Pay no attention to the massive, 10,000sqft mansion next to us that hates the fact that we have animals. Our place was here first!!)
plans.png
 
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Baymule

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Steer or dairy? Which would suit your needs the most? You’ll have to supplement feed either one, so which would save you the most at the grocery store, which would give you the best tasting food?
 

Tjcib

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Steer or dairy? Which would suit your needs the most? You’ll have to supplement feed either one, so which would save you the most at the grocery store, which would give you the best tasting food?
That's where we can't decide. We have three teenage boys, so the meat is always welcome. But milk also serves its purpose in feeding those savages. My wife has dabbled in soap-making and I'm sure she would welcome goat's milk...but she would also love tallow (she's only used our lard thus far) for her soaps.

Personally, I feel like we could get with a couple of grass-fed dairy sheep more than we could a steer. But that may just be inexperience talking.

As you can see, we are wafflers... I'm hoping that as we get soil tests and see what can grow well on the new pasture, we may have some decisions made for us... I guess one can only hope!
 

Baymule

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You could find a farmer with cattle and buy one by hanging weight. Then have it cut to your specifications.
 

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With those woods... if you have the time/money to set up a good goat fence... goats would get the most use out of that woods.

The goats would clear it up and make it park-like.
 

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